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 What would be the role of critical
reading to you, as an academic writer?

Critical reading is an active process

of self discovery.
NM HEADLINES
Girls most likely do well in academics
during high school years but boys get
ahead of them in college.

Female teenagers are more concerned with

their physical appearance than male
teenagers.

PAGE 1
Do you believe and agree with the
statements after
reading them?

How would you react after reading

the statements?
If you question the validity of the statements
by asking the person to give the basis for
his/her assertions...

... then you are one step closer to

becoming a critical reader!
 CRITICAL
READING...
scrutinizing any information that you read or
hear

not easily believing information offered to

you by a text

“Read not to contradict and confute; nor to believe and take for
granted; nor to find talk and discourse; but to weigh and
consider.” - Francis Bacon, The Essays
In critical reading, what is established
between you and the writer?

And to establish that interaction,

what are you most
likely to do?
 Ramage, Bean, and
Johnson (2006)
the ability to pose
problematic questions
the ability to analyze a problem in all its dimensions
appreciate its human dimension and its
to define its key terms
connection to one's own personal
determine its causes experience
understand its history appreciate what makes it problematic or
complex
 Ramage, Bean, and
Johnson (2006)
the ability to find, gather, and interpret
data, facts and other information relevant
to the problem
the ability to imagine alternative solutions to the problem, to see
different ways in which the question might be answered and different
perspectives for viewing it
 Ramage, Bean, and
Johnson (2006)
the ability to analyze competing approaches
and answers, to construct arguments for and
against alternatives
to choose the best solution in the light of values, objectives, and other criteria
that you determine and articulate
the ability to write an effective argument justifying your choice while
acknowledging counter-arguments
 Annotate what
you read.
Write on the text.
underline circle highlight
asking
Hello. questions
Are you reading this? Good!
Because I want you to know this, Marginal notes.
you're just wasting your time.
Because this is nonsense. commenting on
ideas
 Outline
the text.
Identify the main points of the writer
and list them down.

Thesis statement:
Supporting details:
Point 1:
Point 2:
Point 3:
 Summarize
the text.
Get the main points of the text and
write its gist in your own words.
What is being tested in summarizing the text you have read?
how much you have understood the text
will help you evaluate it critically
A summary is usually one paragraph long.
 Evaluate
the text.
Question the author's purpose and
intentions, as well as his/her
assumptions in the claims.
Check if the arguments are supported by evidence and if the evidence
are valid and are from credible sources.
Moreover, there is another critical
skill that a critical
reader must learn...
How to spot flaws
in reasoning.
Girls most likely do well in academics during high
school years but boys get ahead of them in college.
hasty
generalization
Female teenagers are more concerned with their
physical appearance than male teenagers.
And hasty generalization is an
example of a f _ _ _ _ _ y.
 Love is
a Fallacy
Max Shulman
 Questions:
1. How would you describe the narrator in the story?
2. How was Pettey Bellows described in the story? How about
Polly? Do you think that they are really as dumb as they were
described?
3. What is the narrator's reason of wanting Polly?
 Questions:
4. From whose point of view is the story told?
Is the telling of the story logical? Why or why not?
5. In which parts of the story did the narrator commit fallacies? Can
you identify the other instances that he committed fallacies other
than those that Polly has mentioned? In the first part of the story,
what fallacy is committed?
 Questions:
6. Using your annotation and summary,
identify the following:
6. purpose/intention of the author
7. assumptions of the author
8. claims of the author
7. The story is satirical and ironic at the same time. Can you show
how irony was used in the story?
 Questions:
8. Is the author successful in accomplishing
his purpose? Why or why not?
9. If you were Polly, would you fall for the narrator or for Petey?
10. Do you agree that love is fallacy? Why or why not?
How did you like learning about the different
fallacies?
Do you want to know more of them?

There are more fallacies that will be helpful in

your journey as
a critical reader.

Research on the other fallacies that are not mentioned in the story.
Give at least ten and provide your own examples for each fallacy.